Lauro Martins

Born in Brazil and raised in California, Lauro Martins was introduced to music at a very young age. Having a father who was a DJ himself gave Lauro access to hundreds of genres of music to listen and learn about. Playing his first Trance party at the age of 17 in brazil gave him the confidence to follow his heart in the Electronic Music scene of that time. Now in his mid 20’s his love is for House Music, producing Quality Deep and, Tech House tracks with a lot of Latin and African inspiration.

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Music to me is the most important thing in my life! I wake up every morning and luckily get to go to work and help people make music. I work in Pro Audio sales, and I have the pleasure to help people that have the same passion for music I do find what they need to get started on their journey, or others with years of experience find something new to incorporate into their musical path.

Interview

Home Town: Catalao, BrazilCurrently Living: Clovis, CAOrigin Of Name: Wanted to be known for who I am, “Lauro Martins”Weapon of Choice: Pumping Hypnotic Tech HouseSource of Power: Paco Osuna, Sebastien Leger, Jaceo, Coyu, and Nicole Moudaber.

What advice would you offer someone thinking about entering the Discovery Project competition?
Just play the music you love! And do it because you love it! Don’t do it for the popularity or anything else that comes with being a successful DJ/producer.

Was there one particular moment in the recording or mixing process for your Discovery Project entry that made you feel like you were creating something pretty damn special?
I think the most awesome part in the whole Discovery Project experience while preparing my mix was that this is just stuff I live and breathe each day, so just the fact that I was in my “happy place” made it pretty damn special.

Are there any dots to connect with where/how you grew up to your musical output? From people freestyling on the street corner to a grand piano forced down your throat by your mom.
YES! My father started a DJ business when I was 12 years old and later opened a nightclub. This opened my eyes to electronic music and the love of seeing a crowd vibin’ to good music!

What do your parents think of what you are doing?
They love it! And support me 100%. Without them I probably would not be where I am today.

What’s the strangest part of your job? What makes you shake your head in wonderment about being a DJ and producer?
I would have to say the current explosion of quantity of people trying to start their career as a DJ and playing every gig they can find for free. It’s making clubs and promoters lose value for the art.

What’s the biggest misconception about being a DJ? Or, what would people be surprised to find out about the profession?
That all DJs are stuck up and full of themselves. I have people tell me all the time how surprised they are about how humble and down-to-earth I am.

How does what you do for a living affect you on a day-to-day basis? How, if at all, does it affect your friends and family?
I would have to say that the biggest way it affects me is when it’s 3am, I’m in the studio working on a track and my wife is begging me to come to bed.

What is your ultimate career dream?
I would have to say live in Ibiza every summer and become a resident at a different club there each year!

Are you impulsive with your work (in the studio and/or DJing) or do you have a sketch in mind before you start?
As long as I start with groovy, hypnotic drum and bassline, everything else falls into place.

How, if at all, does listening to music figure into your creative process? What’s the last song you heard that made you drop what you were doing and go into the studio?
I actually take voice notes on my phone when I’m listening to music and I hear something I want to try on my productions. But the track I’d say gets me in the mood to produce has to be Jaceo – Thugs (Original Mix). My fav track of 2013 BTW =)

What’s the most important piece of gear in your studio and why?
I would have to say NI Maschine. This is where all my productions start and how I get that signature swing in all of my drums.

How important is it for you to experiment and take on the risk of failure?
I don’t really care about failure because in my style of music the next new sound is just around the corner with experimentation

Do you have a list of people you’d like to collaborate with (from musicians to designers) in the future? Who are some of the people and why?
YES! I would have to say in production I would love to work with Jaceo and Jay Lumen! I’d love to find out their “bassline secrets.”

If we pressed Shuffle on your iPod while you went to the bathroom, what would you be embarrassed to come back to us listening to?
Prob Boy George – “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me”

What sound or noise do you love?
The white noise from my vintage Juno 106

What should everyone just shut the fuck up about?
Obamacare.

What gets you excited when you think about the future of electronic music and club culture?
That it will never die!

When you look at electronic music and the surrounding culture, what worries you about the future, what do you wish would change or that you could change?
I would have to say the slight discrimination we still see towards laptop DJs.

What are your weaknesses?
Being satisfied with the amount of gear I own. I just keep buying and buying more stuff.

Do you have a secret passion?
Ancient alien theories.

How would you describe your sound to a deaf person?
Hypnotic Funk.

Is success physical or internal? What does it mean to you?
Both. You have to work both your body and your mind.

What do you remember about your first DJ gig? Details please…
Lol me blowing out my father’s subwoofers and him getting extremely mad. (I was prob 15 years old.)

What’s the hardest professional lesson you’ve learned thus far? How did it make your life easier—or more difficult?
Always expect the unexpected! Everything from the crowd not feeling your music to a sound system going out. Never take it personally!

Tell me about your most memorable night out as an artist or as a fan.
I would have to say when I saw Carl Cox for the first time back in 2005 in Brazil. It made me understand House music.

Do you have any memorable moments from past EDCs or any other Insomniac party?
Yea! Umek killed it at Nocturnal 2013!!!! Amazing set!

Have something you’d like to get off your chest that we didn’t ask you about? Go for it, shoot from the hip…
YES! I would love to play some more Insomniac events! Hit me up! I’m ready!

Stuff you’ve been up too:
I’ve had a my remix of Rockwell and Landers’ “Spark” played by Stacey Pullen on the Tronic Podcast